PSR B1257+12
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 13h 00m 03.1075s |
| Declination | +12° 40′ 55.155″ |
| Characteristics | |
| Evolutionary stage | Pulsar |
| Astrometry | |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: 46.44±0.08 mas/yr Dec.: −84.87±0.32 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 1.41±0.08 mas |
| Distance | 2,300 ± 100 ly (710 ± 40 pc) |
| Details | |
| Rotation | 6.2185 ms |
| Age | 3±3 Gyr |
| Other designations | |
| Lich, PSR 1257+12, PSR J1300+1240, PSR 1300+1240 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
| Exoplanet Archive | data |
PSR B1257+12, alternatively designated PSR J1300+1240, is a millisecond pulsar, 2,300 light-years (710 parsecs) from the Sun, in the constellation Virgo, rotating at about 161 times per second (faster than the blade of a blender). It is also named Lich, after a powerful, fictional undead creature.
The pulsar has a planetary system with three known pulsar planets, named "Draugr" (PSR B1257+12 b or PSR B1257+12 A), "Poltergeist" (PSR B1257+12 c, or PSR B1257+12 B), and "Phobetor" (PSR B1257+12 d, or PSR B1257+12 C). They were both the first extrasolar planets to be discovered and the first pulsar planets to be discovered—B and C in 1992 and A in 1994. A is the lowest-mass planet yet discovered by any observational technique, having somewhat less than twice the mass of Earth's moon.